The weather forecast for the wee hours Thursday morning is for snow showers. No big deal. We Minnesotans take pride in handling snow. And isn’t March traditionally the snowiest month? We are ready for anything!

I just learned that​not only do we havea State Climatology Office but they have a “Winter Misery Index.” I like that. (I wonder if it ​can be personalized.) Temperatures, amount of snowfall, and the duration of the winter (measured by the number of days when the snow depth is 12 inches or greater) are all factored into the misery score which has ranged from as low as 16 points to the record high 305 points for the winter of 1916-1917.

​Blizzards obviously contribute to the misery index but by definition, a blizzard is more than a lot of snow. To be classified as a blizzard the storm must have winds of 35 mph or more, reduced visibility and last at least three hours.

November 1940

​This got me to thinking, it seems like every generation has a big blizzard to boast about (or two or three). The Armistice Day storm of 1940 (17-27 inches depending on where you were in the state) was emblazoned on the mind of my parents’ generation because of the loss of lives and livestock. The notable thing about that storm is how it caught everyone off guard in the days before satellite weather and cell phones. It had been unseasonably warm and duck hunters had gone out early in the morning to take advantage of the nice weather. By early afternoon the temperature was in the 60s but then it fell very rapidly to single digits accompanied by snow and winds of 50 to 80 mph. Several duck hunters froze to death because they were stranded in the storm.

​My uncle remembered that they got home the night of November 10th to find all of the cows were in the farmyard. They were supposed to be in their pasture on the other side of Highway 169 but had broken through the fence and come home. With the broken fence they were left in the barn the next day and ended up being safe from the storm. Uncle Bob thought the cows sensed the storm coming and came home for safety.

​The big storm of my childhood memory was the St. Patrick’s Day storm of 1965. That’s when I learned the term “snow bound.” My grandparents who lived 30 miles away were babysitting for the day and ended up spending the several days with us. It was a daunting storm with winds of up to 55 mph. There was only 16-24 inches of snow but that was on top of 19 inches of snow that had fallen in late February and early March. According to the Winter Misery Index the winter of 1964-65 was “severe.”

March 1965

​​The memorable storm for my children’s generation was the Halloween blizzard (October 31-November 3, 1991) that dropped 28.4 inches. I was so sure it was too early and would melt. It didn’t. There was still snow in April!

It seems like a lot of the memorable storms seem to coincide with holidays or special events for some reason, such as the Super Bowl blizzard of January 10-12, 1975. My siblings made it home from college before it got really bad and we had a great time being snowbound for a few days. Besides watching the Super Bowl (Minnesota lost to the Pittsburg Steelers), we set up a puzzle that everyone worked on while the storm raged outside. Although we only got a foot or so of snow and this blizzard didn’t make the list of the top ten worst blizzards in Minnesota, the Super Bowl storm is ranked in the top five most devastating storms of all time as far the country is concerned. We got snow and wind, but farther south the same storm system ravaged the Midwest with 45 tornadoes.

January 1975

​And then there was the blizzard of Lisa’s birthday…every year my dad would tell my daughter the story about the blizzard that began the night she was born. March 3, 1985, 16.7 inches of heavy, wet snow fell. It was packed so hard that when he tried to back his Saab out of the garage the next afternoon it drove up on top of the snow. That really impressed him. We lived in southern Nebraska at the time and all we got was a lot of rain.

​I don’t think we are in any danger this year, but it never hurts to make sure the pantry is stocked (or at least that there is plenty of popcorn and hot chocolate and that books, puzzles and videos are handy).

Perhaps we wear green on St. Patrick's Day even if we aren't Irish to remind ourselves that spring is coming.​ Happy St. Patrick's Day!

One of the things I enjoy most about gardening is the solitude. It is a place to escape the noise and busy-ness of the day, to quiet my soul and listen to the birds, to bask in the beautiful creation and worship the Creator. Sometimes the mood is serious and awe inspiring but other times it's the delightful entertainment of a silly chicken or a pensive toad. I invite you to join me in this journey of discovery and re-creation. Donna